New books

In the evening of the feast day of the Renovation of the Church of Saint Greatmartyr George in Lydia which is the Patron Saint’s day of the city of Novi Sad, on 15 November 2012, at the great hall of the Matica Srpska in Novi Sad the book Raids and Concentration Camps in Backa during World War Two, which author is archimandrite Jovan Radosavljevic, was presented. The book is the latest publication of Beseda (Homily) – the publishing company of the Orthodox Diocese of Backa. His Grace Dr Irinej of Backa, Dr Djordje Srbulovic and the author spoke on the book.

With the blessing of His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch, His Grace Bishop Atanasije of Hvosno participated yesterday in the banquet hall of the Rectorate of the University in Belgrade, in the promotion of the publication of the Association of Milutin Milankovic - KNOWLEDGE OF CALENDAR AND CONTRIBUTION OF MILUTIN MILANKOVIC. Protopresbyter-staurophor Dr Radomir Popovic, regular professor of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade, professor Dr Smilja Marjanovic Dusanic, professor Dr Steva Segan, MSci Dragoljub Antic and Dr Slavko Maksimovic took part in the presentation of the collections of scientific papers from last year's conference was participated.

An important manuscript was discovered in Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Topkapi was the residence of the Ottoman sultans for almost 400 years. The manuscript found is of significant meaning, because it consists of information regarding the years before the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, but it also describes the early years after Constantinople was turned into Istanbul and became capital of Turkey.

The document belongs to Michael Critovoulos, a Greek politician, scholar and historian, who lived between 1410 and 1470. His birth-name was Kritopoulos, but he changed it to sound more ancient Greek-like.

He experienced the Siege and Fall of Constantinople and wrote about Mehmed II the Conqueror.

The Ascetic Homilies of St Isaac the Syrian were translated from the original Syriac into Greek at the turn of the 9th century by monks Abramios and Patrikios of St Saba Monastery in Palestine. They were widely read, primarily by monks, and bore crucial influence on all of the spiritual tradition and literature of the Eastern Church. The Ascetic Homilies are preserved in a plethora of manuscripts featuring significant differences. In 1770, Nikephoros Theotokis published an edition of the Ascetic Homilies based on two manuscripts. Theotokis’ edition was reprinted in 1895 by Ioakeim Spetsieris; in 1871, Kallinikos Pantokratorinos produced a vernacular version. To this day our knowledge of St Isaac’s work rests on these editions.

Boban Stojkovic: Christianity in the Land of the Rising Sun (The Mission of the Orthodox Church in Japan. Saint Nikolai Kasatkin and his mission), Diocese of Dalmatia, Sibenik 2010, 157 pages [ISBN 987-86-82555-49-00]

The baptization of all nations on behalf of Father, Son and Holy Spirit , as is widely known,is the New Testament imperative.The mission is an obligation of the Church. However, our time is perhaps мост inert when it comes to missionary work. Simply, as if modern church apostles have become lazy. This state of ministerial activity, because of its importance, requires serious attention and fast response.

Speaking of that, the Nikolai Kasatkin's mission in Japan is, in many ways, paradigmatic. St. Nicholas was preaching Christ to the people whom the Orthodox tradition was completely unknown and therefore he started from the scratch. To a large extent, the situation in which are today's missionaries, whose "target groups" belong either to those few peoples who have never heard of the Gospel of Christ or to those who tore off from the Christian tradition of their ancestors. To both sides, therefore, the Orthodox Christian tradition is known just as much as it was known the Japanese at the time of Nikolai Kasatkin. Hence the study of his work on the baptism of Japan invaluable for finding the most appropriate missionary model and its implementation today.

On Friday, October 28, at the Book Fair there was a presentation of a new edition of the Holy Bible Old and New Testament (along with deuterocanonical books which were translated into Serbian by His Eminence Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral and retired Bishop Atanasije of Zahumlje-Herzegovina). In the presence of His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch, Their Graces Bishops Hrizostom of Zica and Georgije of Canada about this edition of the Publishing Fund of the SOC it was spoken by Their Graces Bishops Irinej of Backa and Atanasije of Hvosno.